Car-coupling



(No Model.)

S. HALTOM.

GAR GOUPLING.

No. 309,944. Patented Deo. 3of1884- JWM Wig@ *y Diarree drains Farmertrice.

SAMUEL I-IALTOM, OF MOUNT ENTERPRISE. ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FIFTH TO CHAS. A.OLIVER, CALVIN J. BELL, AND JOHN BELL, OF LAWSONVILLE,

TEXAS.

cAR-coUPLiNe.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 309,944, dated December30, 1884.

'Application tied August 1s, 1884. (No model.)

To all whom t 77mg/ concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL HALTOM, of Mount Enterprise, in the county ofRusk and State of Texas, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Car-Couplings; and I do hereby declare the following tobe a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and useit, reference 1o being had to the accompanying drawings,

which form part of this specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in car-couplings; and itconsists, first, in the combination, with the draw-head having a flangeextending vertically upon one of its sides, of a hook, which is pivotedin the opposite side of the draw-head, and which is adapted to catch inthe flange that is formed upon the adjacent draw-head when the cars arerun to- 2o gether, a weight which is attached to the hook for thepurpose of keeping'it normally engaged with the adjacent draw-head, anda gravity-latch which is adapted to engage with`v the catch that isformed upon the inner end of 2 5 the hook for the purpose of securingsaid hook in position when the cars are uncoupled; second, in thecombination of a frame which is pivoted on the under side of the cars, ashaft whichV is journaled therein, and which is p'rovided with a drum atits upper end and asegmental worm-pinion at its lower end, with a wormwhich is formed upon one of the aXles for engaging with the worm-pinion,and a bent lever which is pivoted at the front end of the 3 5 car, andwhich projects a suitable distance in front of the draw-head, and whichis connected at its lower end to the swinging frame, and a bent leverwhich is provided with a drum, and which is pivoted in the rear end of4c lthe car, and which is connected to the drum that is secured to theupper end of the shaft in the swinging frame by a chain, for the purposeof preventing the train from becoming coupled to a car which is standingupon the 4 5 track -when the train is backed down to said car, as willbe more fully describedhereinafter.

The object of my invention is, first, to provide a coupling which isautomatic in its operation when cars are brought in contact; and, 5osecondly, to provide means for prevnting a train which is coupled bymeans of in v couplers from becoming attached to a car which may bestanding on the track when the train is backed down to said car.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a side elevation, partly insection, of my invention complete. Fig. 2 is a bottom plan View ofthesame.

A represents a car, and B the tender of the 6o locomotive. This tenderhas pivoted to its under side a bent foot-lever, C, the upper end ofwhich projects slightly above the floor of the tender, while its lowerrear end extends back and comes in contact with the bent lever D, whichis pivoted in the front end of the adjacent car. This lever D isconnected at its lower end by means of a chain or bail, E, with aswinging frame, F, which is pivoted to the under side of the car, as atG, and in 7o which frame is journaled the shaft H, which has a drum, I,secured toits upper end, and a segmental worm-pinion, K, secured to itslower end, which pinion, when the upper end of the lever D is raised bymeans of the footlever C, meshes with a worm, L, which is formed upont-he axle M.

N represents a fender-lever, which is bent into the shape here shown,and which is pivoted to the under side of the rear end of the car A, andhas a drum, O, rigidly secured to its pivotal portion. To this drum issecured a chain, l?, which connects it with the drum I. The operation ofthis part of my invention will be set forth hereinafter.

My coupling consists of draw -heads Q, which are each provided withaiiange, R, upon one side, and which have hooks T, pivoted between earsS, that are formed upon the opposite side.- These hooks are provided attheir inner pivotal ends with the extensions V, to which are secured thechains W, which pass over sheaves X, which are journaled in openings Ythat are formed in the under sides of the draw-heads. The lower ends ofthese 95 chains are secured to the bent weighted levers Z, which arepivoted in the draw-heads, as at A.

B represents a notch, which is formed in the rear end of each of thehooks, and C' represents a gravity-latch, which, when the hook is openedinto the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2 when the cars areuncoupled, catches in behind the shoulder of the notch, and this locksthe hook in its open position. rlhe function of the weighted lever is tokeep theihook normally closed in contact with the adjacent draw-headwhen the cars are coupled. rlhe draw-heads Q are secured in ways D onthe under sides of the cars, and

are given a longitudinal play in said ways by means of therearwardlyprojecting headed bolts E and the buifensprings F, which areof the ordinary construction.

Gr represents an abutment, which is secured to the ways next adjacent toand in rear of the levers C. lVhen the cars come in contact, thedraw-heads move backward in their ways against the tension of thebutter-springs, and the gravity-latches C strike against the abutments Gand become disengaged from the notches of the hooks, and the weighted-levers, which are attached to said hooks, cause them to spring inand come iu contact with the flanges of the opposite draw-heads, andthus couple the cars together. Should the train be backed against a earwhich may be standing on the track, and to which it is not desired thatthe train shall be coupled, as is frequently the case in switching, theengineer places his foot upon the lever C, which raises the lever D ofthe forward car, which motion places the segmental pinion K in gear withthe worm upon the shaft, and by means of the drums I and O and the chainI raises the fender-lever N, which raises the lever D of the nextadjacent car, and so on through the entire train until the rear car isreached. Then this rear car comes in contact with the ear standing onthe track, the fender lever strikes against said car, and thus preventssaid car from becoming coupled to the train.

Secured to each of the hooks I is arope, H', which passes over a sheavethat is secured to the end of the car, and from -thence up and oversheaves which are placed at the upper sides of the car, and from thencedown and around a sheave which is placed upon the op posite side of thecar at its lower side. By

means of this ropethe hooks can be detached from the adjacent draw -headby a person standing upon the top of the car, or upon the ground ateither side thereof.

A coupling thus constructed is exceedingly simple, cheap, and efficient,and its adoption would insure a greatsaving of time, labor, and loss oflife.

Having thus described my invention, I clain1 l. The combination of thedraw-head provided with a Iiange upon one of its sides, ways forsecuring said draw-head in place and allowing it a longitudinalmovement, an abutment which is secured to said ways upon one side, ahook which is pivoted in the drawhead on the side opposite to theiiange, which hook ,is provided with a weight for keeping it normallyclosed, and which has a notch formed upon its pivotal end, and a latchwhich is pivoted to one side of the draw-head, and which is adapted tocatch in the n otch in the hook for the purpose of keeping the hookopen, whereby when the cars are coupled the latch, as the draw-head isdriven in, will strike against the abutment and release its hold up onthe hook, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with a car provided with an automatic coupling, ot'the lever D, pivoted to said car, a worm formed upon one of the axles, aswinging frame pivoted beneath the car and having a shaft journaledtherein, to which shaft is secured a segmental gear at its lower end anda drum at its upper end, a fender-lever which is pivoted in the rear endof the car and which has a drum secured to its pivotal end, a chain forconnect ingsaiddrum with thedrumupon theupperend ofthe shaft in theswinging frame, and a means .for connecting the lower end of theswinging frame with the lower end ofthe bent lever D, all combined andarranged to operate substantially in the manner and for the purposedescribed.

3. The combination of a car provided with an automatic coupling with afender-lever which is pivoted to the rear end of the car, and means forcausing said fender-lever to be raised when backing the car, for thepurpose set forth, substantially as described.

et. rIhe combination of a car provided with an automatic coupling with afender-lever which is pivoted to the rear end of the car, the swingingframe F, having shaft II and drum I, chain I), and means for causing thedrum I to rotate when backing the car for the purpose of winding thechain and raising the fender-lever, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I alix my signature in vpresence oi" two witnesses.

l SAMUEL HALTOM. W'itnesses:

GEO. F. Ross, S'rnvn LACY.

ICO

IIC

